“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You.
Selah
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.”
(Psalm 84:4-6 NKJV)

The Masoretic (Hebrew) Text states verses 4 through 5a the same as the New King James Version but states the rest of it this way…

“The highways are in their hearts.
Passing through the valley of weeping,
they will make it a fountain;
yea, the rain clothes with blessings.”

I love to dig. Digging always brings to light some gems of the Word that are hidden. So, let’s dig…

*Blessed: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament Words says, “Basically, this word connotes the state of “prosperity” or “happiness” that comes when a superior bestows his favor (blessing) on one.”
*Dwell: to sit down, abide, inhabit.
*House: building; home; household; land
*Praising: to rave, to celebrate, to boast, to shine, glory, sing praise

*Still: always, continually
*Strength: in various applications, such as force, majesty, security, and praise.
*Pilgrimage or highways: a thoroughfare, staircase, a raised way.

*Passing through: cross over or to cover
*Valley: a vale, broad depression, or lowland
*Baca: weeping
*Make: to place, put, set, to station, to appoint, to fix, to set mind to, etc.
*Spring or fountain: a source of satisfaction

*Rain: an archer, also teacher, teaching, early rain (comes from another word meaning to flow as water, to point out, to teach)
*Covers or clothes: to wrap, veil, cloth, roll, enwrap, to envelop oneself, a mourner as one who covers
*Pools or blessings: actually means blessing, benediction, gift, or prosperity

So, this is what I see. The Word says that happy, blessed, and favored are those who remain in the Lord’s dwelling place, abiding in His presence, for they will continually praise Him, celebrating Him and giving Him glory. Here, David inserts his selah rest…

STOP! Stop and think on that.

Don’t you love thinking on that thought? Happy, blessed, and favored! Because you abide in the presence of the Lord, praising Him.

Then, David continues to say that happy, blessed, and favored is also those whose hearts find strength and security in the Lord, for His ways are in their hearts.

His ways keep them and comfort them when they pass through the valley of weeping, for they make it a fountain, a spring, a source of satisfaction.

So, those who go through the valley of weeping, whose hearts rest in the Lord, make or set their mind to that valley as a spring of blessings, for the Lord is with them, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” (Ps. 23:4 NLT)

When darkness and despair gather around your soul and you find yourself in that valley of weeping, do His ways lead you to that precious gift of comfort, as a fountain of blessings?

Have you found your strength, security, and praise in the Lord, and are His ways set in your heart? Do you know the Lord is with you in that valley of weeping?

Pondering this verse. If you’ve been a reader even for a short time, you know I love to dig into the definitions of the words used in Scripture, whether Hebrew or Greek. A wealth of understanding and insight are hidden in some of those definitions.

For instance. What does cross over mean? It actually means to pass through, to traverse; to travel the road which leads through a place; go, pass, travel through a region. To go through to get to something or somewhere.

To pass through. Makes me think. Jesus didn’t say: let us go to the other side. Other Greek words mean go. He used the word for pass through. Pass through what?

Let’s see…

After teaching all day, a tired Jesus beckons to His disciples and says, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” (Mark 4:35 NLT) So the disciples join Him in the boat…

While settling into the hardness of the boat, Jesus finds the softness of a cushion and curls up with it in the boat’s stern. As the sloshing waves rhythmically lick the boat, He falls asleep.

A gentle, warm breeze caresses the disciples’ faces, and then suddenly turns into a fierce, cold blast, slapping them with fury, disrupting the calm of the night.

Shards of lightning pierce the charcoaled night. A turbulent tempest pitches the boat up and down while a billowing surge of waves cants the boat back and forth, flinging the disciples from side to side and filling the boat with sea water.

Terrified, the disciples frantically shake Jesus to awaken Him and shout, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we’re about to drown?”

Jesus got up and sternly reprimanded the wind and said to the sea, “Keep silent! Be muzzled!” Immediately, Jesus’ command calms the frenzied wind, while a vast stillness smoothes the raging sea.

Disappointed, Jesus turns to the drenched and dripping disciples and says, “Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you do not yet have faith?”

Their faith would have taken them safely to the other side, even in the midst of the storm, and anchored them in the harbor.
(Going to the Other Side)

As they passed through the storm, Jesus was with them. Let us pass through, Jesus said. A promised prediction they quickly forgot. Aren’t we the like this?

In the midst of our situation, we become more overwhelmed by fear than by faith. We cry out in distress thinking Jesus does not care or has forgotten His promises.

The Lord is there. All the while. Steering your vessel through uncharted waters of adversity. In the blackest hours. He is your Navigator. He knows the way to the other side. Ride quietly and trust Him. He will not allow the wind and waves to overtake you.

When you encounter a storm, does your faith and obedience to God’s command take you safely to the other side and anchor you in the harbor of refuge?

“They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.”(Ps. 107:26-30 NIV)
(Going to the Other Side)

Whether the storm rages or is stilled, the Lord is always with us and sees us through our circumstances.

Trust the Lord to see you through your most threatening trial or heartache.

“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You.
Selah
Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.”(Psalm 84:4-6 NKJV)

The Masoretic (Hebrew) Text states verses 4 through 5a the same as the NKJV and states the rest of it this way…

“The highways are in their hearts.
Passing through the valley of weeping,
they will make it a fountain;
yea, the rain clothes with blessings.”
You know I love to dig. Digging always brings to light some gems of the Word. So, let’s dig…

*Still: always, continually.
*Strength: in various applications, such as force, majesty, security, and praise.
*Pilgrimage or highways: a thoroughfare, staircase, a raised way.
*Passing through: cross over or to cover.
*Valley: a vale, broad depression, or lowland.
*Baca: weeping.
*Spring or fountain: a source of satisfaction.
*Rain: an archer, also teacher, teaching, early rain (comes from another word meaning to flow as water, to point out, to teach).
*Covers or clothes: to wrap, veil, cloth, roll, enwrap, to envelop oneself, a mourner as one who covers.
*Pools: actually means blessings.

So, this is what I dig out. The Word says that happy and blessed are those who remain in the Lord’s dwelling place, for they will continually praise Him, celebrating and giving Him glory. Here, David inserts his selah rest, his stop-action, in his song for the reader to stop and think on that.
Question: What does this mean to you?

He continues to say that happy and blessed is the one in whose heart has found security and praise in the Lord, whose heart is set on God’s highways, His pilgrimage, His ways.

Question: Have you found your security and praise in the Lord, and is your heart set on God’s ways?

As they pass through the valley of weeping, that lowland can even be the vale of mental depression, they make it a fountain, a spring, as a source of satisfaction, because their strength is in the Lord and their hearts are set on God’s ways.

Question: As you pass through your valley of weeping, do you make it a fountain, a spring of satisfaction in the Lord?

The light-hearted need no comfort; only the hurting need comfort. So, those who go through the valley of weeping, those whose hearts rest in the Lord, make that valley a spring of comfort, not only for themselves but for others as well.

As they rely on the Lord, His refreshment flows as water, pointing out or teaching the way through the valley and covering the mourners with His comfort, and springs of blessings overflow.

When darkness and despair gather around your soul and you find yourself in that valley of weeping, God’s precious gift of comfort, as a fountain of blessings, will see you through.

If peace, praise, rest, and strength reside in you, even through the valley of weeping, then you can share with others this same fountain of comfort in their times of need.
Questions: Do you know this comfort, this fountain of blessing, in your valley of weeping? Have you camped out there, or are you just passing through?

“Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed.”
(Is. 43:20 NLT)